Holiday Candy, Cookies, Bread, Pudding (SWEETS!)

[Cachoo]

What do you love eating, baking, buying during the holidays? I have wonderful memories of my grandmother and aunts making Polish Chruschiki in a sort of assembly line in the kitchen, deftly making the pastry while talking, laughing, arguing. It is also called Angel Wings but they called it Polish neckties.
I also love my sister's fudge.

What treats do you look forward to having in your home during the holidays?

 

[SkateSand]

My grandmother used to make what she called Sandies - a shortbread pecan cookie rolled in powdered sugar. I always associate Christmas with those cookies. She would get so exasperated when they would be eaten instantly after hours of baking.

 

[jeffisjeff]

I recently stocked up on a bunch of Trader Joe's Christmas goodies.

I plan to make these over the weekend: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023678-chocolate-hazelnut-cookies

On Christmas morning I will make puff pastry cinnamon rolls (super easy and yummy) for breakfast and a chocolate cream pie for desert at dinner.

 

[Kruss]

We've been making these forever in our family, it seems. My mother got the recipe out of the Betty Crocker Encyclopedia of Cooking which she received at her wedding shower in 1957. The recipe has been made so many times that if you hold the book on its spine and let it go, it falls open to the page with this recipe. We don't make it with brown sugar and only use vanilla extract, but of course you can substitute in any flavor extract and fold in some chocolate chips, nuts, or any dried fruit to change the recipe.

These are perfect for dunking in milk or coffee, and we've been told that in the U.S. South, these are the classic Tea Cakes.

 

[BlueRidge]

For a number of years back in the 70s and 80s I used to make 10-12 different kinds of cookies at Christmas. I loved that. Since then I just haven't had the kitchen to do it. My recipes began with ones from Culinary Arts Institute Encyclopedic Cookbook, which wasn't so old when I was five years old and my mother, sister and I made cut out cookies from the recipe in it. Now its a curiosity. I always loved all the pictures of many cookies on trays in it and tried to recreate that.

I probably won't make any cookies this year. So much butter and sugar! But my sister and I always have a special sweet treat for Christmas breakfast, like Stollen. When she comes down next week we'll go looking for something.

 

[oleada]

I’ve been making Confetti cookies every year for a few years now (with Christmas sprinkles) but this year little Oleada helped me make them and he was so excited. We also made these M&M cookie bars for a cookie exchange with some friends.

I’ve also made chocolate crinkle, these monster cookies and these salted caramel pretzel snickerdoodles a few times in the past.

This weekend I’m making lemon crinkle cookies, raspberry cheesecake brownies and Christmas Rice Krispies treats for a Christmas celebration with my husband’s family.

I recently stocked up on a bunch of Trader Joe's Christmas goodies.

I plan to make these over the weekend: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023678-chocolate-hazelnut-cookies

On Christmas morning I will make puff pastry cinnamon rolls (super easy and yummy) for breakfast and a chocolate cream pie for desert at dinner.

Omg these look so good.

My mom usually makes cheesecake for Christmas, which I love!

 

[Spikefan]

I love baking cookies this time of year. I bake:
Triple ginger crinkles
Cut out sugar cookies frosted
Toasted coconut toffee
Almond macaroons
Cherry almond shortbread cookies

This year I am going to add Pistachio cream thumbprint cookies. I love homemade fudge and caramels but have not mastered candies, so just hope MIL does them.

I also like to make jam filled sweet rolls and panettone French (Italian) toast.

 

[VALuvsMKwan]

For a number of years back in the 70s and 80s I used to make 10-12 different kinds of cookies at Christmas. I loved that. Since then I just haven't had the kitchen to do it. My recipes began with ones from Culinary Arts Institute Encyclopedic Cookbook, which wasn't so old when I was five years old and my mother, sister and I made cut out cookies from the recipe in it. Now its a curiosity. I always loved all the pictures of many cookies on trays in it and tried to recreate that.

I probably won't make any cookies this year. So much butter and sugar! But my sister and I always have a special sweet treat for Christmas breakfast, like Stollen. When she comes down next week we'll go looking for something.

My mother had the 1947 hardcover (dark green) version of that cookbook, which she bought or was gifted not long after she married my father. I used to read it when I was a child.

I found and bought that same edition on Amazon a couple of years ago.

 

[moebius]

One thing that I don't look forward to the holidays are the sweets. I like sweets as long as they're not too sweet which is very hard to find. I don't bake, so I can't make very low sugar sweets.

 

[myhoneyhoney]

I’m still trying to find a copycat recipe for Archways Cashew Nougat cookies.

 

[once_upon]

Mostly I make marshmallow creame fudge. My kids and grandkids love it.

I used to make divinity and shape into candy canes with red stripes - very labor intensive and bake for an hour. I cant find the recipe. I also did a double mocha cookie with walnuts. But we try not to have cookies around anymore.

 

[MacMadame]

I’m still trying to find a copycat recipe for Archways Cashew Nougat cookies.

There are a ton online. Not sure how good any of them are.

 

[Cachoo]

Today my supervisor gave each of us big, round loaves of white chocolate, cranberry swirl bread. The aroma beckons... I enjoy reading what people love around the holidays. Thank you for posting.

 

[Lanie]

Sugar cookies with vanilla and almond extracts. I'm going to make some today. I just HATE rolling them out. I always do such a piss poor job of it.

I bought bread from a neighbor who's started her own at-home bakery. It's delicious! Sourdough. Very mildly tangy, I like it a bit stronger. I had some with an egg for breakfast. Yum. I wish I could make bread but my bread is always trash.

 

[BlueRidge]

I used to love rolling out the dough and cutting it. What a huge mess!! You need a lot of counter space.

We used a cookie cutter roller when I was a kid. I found a picture of it here. I still have it. The recipe made like 200 cookies! We put red and green sugar sprinkles on them and when we were in elementary school we boxed them up and took them to our teachers.

 

[made_in_canada]

I used to love rolling out the dough and cutting it. What a huge mess!! You need a lot of counter space.

We used a cookie cutter roller when I was a kid. I found a picture of it here. I still have it. The recipe made like 200 cookies! We put red and green sugar sprinkles on them and when we were in elementary school we boxed them up and took them to our teachers.

I need one of those rollers!

I’m making some spiced nuts, my kids want to do sugar cookies, though I might do the confetti cookies @oleada posted. I want to do some ginger molasses cookies too. And maybe some candy cane chocolate chip cookies. Generally, I don’t do much Christmas baking. This year I’m into it though

We also do a Christmas tree shaped “birthday cake for Jesus” for dessert Christmas Day. Which doesn’t make a lot of sense but whatever

 

[BlueRidge]

Here's one of the old recipes that was one of my favorites Butter Nut Drops https://www.food.com/recipe/butter-nut-drops-76722

You have to roll them in balls and roll them in ground nuts, but they are easy compared to the cookies you have to roll the dough out for.

If you are going to make lots of cookies one of the easiest way to do so is to make "refrigerator cookies." You make the dough and roll it into cylinders that you refrigerate until it is firm, then you cut off cookie sized pieces to bake them.

 

[flyingsit]

I really really hate almond extract in sugar cookies. It's the worst when you're not expecting it and you take a bite, and it just smacks you in the face.

 

[RoseAugust]

Always: Swedish Rye Bread (grandma Hedwig's recipe), Stollen (grandma Clara's recipe), ostkaka (Swedish cheese cake) served with whip cream and lingonberries, Fruckt Soppa (fruit soup), spritz, pepparkakor, pecan bars and Mexican wedding cakes.

 

[Rob]

My mothers shortbread.

 

[Orm Irian]

Hermit cookies! Every year I make a batch of hermit cookies with their flat sides dipped in chocolate, and this year I'm teaming them up with Mrs Crocombe's gingerbread cake, dusted with icing sugar for pretty.

 

[Cachoo]

Hermit cookies! Every year I make a batch of hermit cookies with their flat sides dipped in chocolate, and this year I'm teaming them up with Mrs Crocombe's gingerbread cake, dusted with icing sugar for pretty.

I have never heard of them. I googled and they look delicious....

 

[Prancer]

So far, I've made cherry-almond-coconut cookies, Peppermint Patties (chocolate cookies with mint filling), fluffernutter cookies (huge!), some Santa/snowball cupcakes for kids, and peanut butter fudge.

I plan to make some gingersnaps and some Ritz cracker cookies in the next couple of days. For Christmas, I am making cherry cheesecake lush for my daughter, dark chocolate salted caramel pie for my husband and an apple caramel pie cobbler that I plan to serve warm with ice cream because it's going to be freaking cold.

 

[flyingsit]

Recipes for chocolate salted caramel pie and apple caramel pie cobbler please?

 

[jeffisjeff]

I plan to make these over the weekend: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023678-chocolate-hazelnut-cookies

So, I couldn’t make those cookies this weekend, but for good reason. My daughter got into one of her top choice colleges so I told her that I’d make whatever she wanted for dinner. I also suggested that I could make a new recipe for some yummy looking hazenut chocolate cookies. But she was all Yuck! and requested nanaimo bars instead. So for dinner that night we had shepherd’s pie and nanaimo bars.

 

[BlueRidge]

So, I couldn’t make those cookies this weekend, but for good reason. My daughter got into one of her top choice colleges so I told her that I’d make whatever she wanted for dinner. I also suggested that I could make a new recipe for some yummy looking hazenut chocolate cookies. But she was all Yuck! and requested nanaimo bars instead. So for dinner that night we had shepherd’s pie and nanaimo bars.

okay had to google nanaimo bars. No wonder she wanted them, whoa.

 

[jamesy]

So far, I've made cherry-almond-coconut cookies, Peppermint Patties (chocolate cookies with mint filling), fluffernutter cookies (huge!), some Santa/snowball cupcakes for kids, and peanut butter fudge.

I plan to make some gingersnaps and some Ritz cracker cookies in the next couple of days. For Christmas, I am making cherry cheesecake lush for my daughter, dark chocolate salted caramel pie for my husband and an apple caramel pie cobbler that I plan to serve warm with ice cream because it's going to be freaking cold.

omg if the idea of travelling to Ohio in the winter wasn't scary I would be on your doorstep so fast with my hands outstretched like a Dickensian orphan.

 

[annie720]

Scandinaivan almond bars are my favorite cookies to make any time. I usually make them for Christmas but having just moved into a new house a week ago, we may have to scale back on the baking. I also normally make mini sugar cookies in Xmas shapes and paint them with egg-yolk dye. My adult kids often help with this and that's part of the fun of it, but we may not have the space or the time this year. The chocolate crinkles will probably get made because they are pretty quick. My husband has his favorites so I'm guessing he will be baking his grandma's gingerbread men and Mexican wedding cookies. I will probably do a couple of quick breads, probably lemon-thyme and banana, to have around for breakfast. In addition, we have a Xmas birthday and would normally be baking a cake for that, but I think I will purchase something pre-made this year. I'm a bit intimidated to be baking with an unfamiliar oven.

 

[Prancer]

So, I couldn’t make those cookies this weekend, but for good reason. My daughter got into one of her top choice colleges

Congrats to your daughter! What a nice Christmas present.

omg if the idea of travelling to Ohio in the winter wasn't scary I would be on your doorstep so fast with my hands outstretched like a Dickensian orphan.

This is definitely not the year for traveling here for Christmas.

 

[CassAgain]

My maternal grandmother always had two big glass jars in the kitchen--one filled with decorated sugar cookies and one with chocolate chip cookies. I don't have the jars, but I always have trays of the same out.

I almost always do a batch or gingerbread people as well.

This year, I made a tray of English toffee, a batch of millionaires (with cashews instead of pecans) and a batch of ricotta cookies.

I am going to make a apple/vanilla custard pie for Christmas.

When we do Christmas with my family in Texas on New Years, I am going to make another batch of sugar cookies and some peppermint flavored homemade Oreos.

I fill up boxes for our (mine and Mr. Cass's) colleagues and neighbors and take them around.

This year, my daughter is taking some to work (soft-serve frozen custard shop) to make Christmas cookie concretes.

I am not always in the baking mood but have been this year. Hope everyone is having a wonderful time and having lots of baking fortune.